For one, it means that Erin can prove to the paladins that he can cure cave corruption w/o VD getting involved (hopefully, anyway). I think it’s also the beginning of an Erin training / equalisation arc in preparation for the paladin champion showing up, but that’s just me.
(Also, I don’t think they’re going to try and fight the champion. Definitely not intentionally. If the champion shows up at the wrong moment and goes “holy shit, he’s attacking people with void!” instead of “holy shit, he’s healing those cave crawlers!” then they might get in a fight. I think the only thing that can truly oppose the void is the light, but the opposite is also true.)
I’m pretty sure Elemental Corruption can only be subverted/reversed in its earliest stages. In 1-4-3, Erin describes corruption:
“If not treated quickly, the condition can become chronic and induce lifelong complications.”
So while he’s able to purge Void Energy from Falst right now, it’s only been a few hours since exposure, and Erin was right here and (somewhat) ready to go. For most Cave Crawlers, it’s likely been years since their corruption reached the point of transformation, at which point I doubt there’s anything left to save. It’s not really a cure.
The implications are pretty endless. But the one I don’t like is how Erin’s pupils (i think they’re pupils but we’ve literally never seen pupils in this comic before) just turned golden. Seems to me that he’s becoming more intimately connected to VD (VD is in Erin, Erin is in VD, it’s a PR disaster sis) and that has even MORE implications.
Of course, the main implication is that Erin will continue to develop Void Magic, out of necessity or out of ambition. I mean, he’s basically pioneering a whole new type of magic, as well as curing the uncurable. It’s a miracle, etc, etc. There’s also potential here for some kind of solo/evil arc (or something resembling that) for Erin. But hey, at least Falst is gonna be okay! (it’s totally worth it)
Agreed on the endless implications and risks thereof. This shows that void magic can be used for good and there’s a legitimate arguments to research it further, and that’s exactly what Erin is afraid of. He’s deliberately keeping the Academy in the dark about this because he knows that people there won’t want to get rid of the tattoo and solve the dragon problem. They’ll want to research it, replicate it, and do all manner of magical works, from the noble like purging void energy as seen above, to morally dubious things, or straight up weaponisation.
I’m fairly confident Erin hasn’t forgotten the risks involved and will continue to strive towards ridding himself of the dragon, but if others find out about him, especially what he’s doing right now, they’ll want to keep Erin as he is.
Wow! Lots of cool stuff I didn’t think about. My mind is how Erin’s struggle with when, how much, and in what circumstances he can/should use void magic will instantiate in the plot now that we know that he has “broken the seal.” Is void inherently corrupting or is it just a sticky ethical issue? How does deadness and aliveness actually work in regards to the primordial dragons? There is some question given the issue with Alunia and Life. Mebbe VD is not exactly “playing” dead…
And, seriously, why did the tech think Falst belonged there? I’m not dropping this.
I don’t think Void is inherently bad. It’s the element of consumption, but it’s also shown in the extra lore page that self-sustaining life is impossible without Void. I think it’s kinda like Life, capable of good and evil depending on who is using it and how.
In the opening of chapter 4, Erin goes into detail about elemental corruption. ALL elements are capable of this. It’s the result of a soul not being able to expel excess elemental energy from themselves. (ex. A fire mage that cannot control stone could be corrupted by stone)
There’s an awful lot that could happen now. But first up: that’s a cliffhanger right there – he hasn’t fully removed the corruption yet, just proved he can do it if Void dragon “plays dead”. Assuming that Red isn’t going to crush our childish, hopeful dreams, we will then find out whether cave corruption is caused by the void dragon, or if the corruption is part of him. We will also find out if removing the corruption has any drawbacks on Erin. We’ll know that the dragon causes corruption if the dragon absorbs it into him, but if he has to put it elsewhere, then he can only control it, and it probably isn’t good for the dragon either. If Erin absorbs it and is affected by it, then we have an obvious drawback. The void dragon won’t let his host die though, so Erin should be safe in that scenario. An option for discarding it if the dragon doesn’t absorb it is letting it join the other gloop that is attacking them, which would prove that the gloop is pure cave corruption, or the source of it, or (this is a yucky option) the remains of creatures turned by it when the cave was first sealed.
Btw, does anyone have any ideas on why it forces people to relive their worst memories? Pretty OP attack, but also oddly specific for a type of magic corruption.
Oh it was void magic. I guess glory is made of void. That opens up some very interesting questions about where it came from and why it was created. Not to mention how many other void artifacts or creatures there are in the world.
Glort isn’t necessarily “made of void” although I do think it has absorbed a lot of Void from the Singing Caves. The working theory right now is that when Falst got injured (sliced open by Crawlers and repeatedly traumatised on the arm), his soul barrier was disrupted, allowing environmental energy in. Since they were near the Singing Caves, that energy was mostly Void (and probably a little Stone too). It wasn’t the GLORT attacking with the power of Void, it was the GLORT damaging Falst’s soul barrier and just letting the Void in.
EXACTLY. Erin said “don’t sabotage this” like it was a possibility. Voidy WANTS Erin to think of him as useful. He even pushed Erin to consider this in the caves!
Anonymous Aurora Question #23: Wait, that just worked?!? Ok, no. Real Anonymous Aurora Question #23: If you could just put something into the Aurora world, be it another younger race, or a modern invention, or anything else, what would that hipothetically be and why?
I’d integrate some way to fairly easily cure elemental corruption. I don’t much care for the idea of permanent damage building up in a person over time as they use their magic. Something about the inevitability of elemental corruption reminds me of the inevitability of the heat death of the universe and it just kinda bums me out. I don’t like things being permanently lost or damaged. I like the idea of being able to fix almost anything. It gives me hope.
Elemental corruption can be prevented fairly easily 🙂 A mage can do it on themselves or others, so long as they do it quick. Erin had to continuously purge all six elemental energies from his body on his way through the Storm. It’s not really an inevitable heat death, it’s more like if you don’t pee for too long, you’ll probably get a UTI or your brain will swell up like a sponge.
Since it’s predominantly found in amateur mages who can’t properly purge their energies yet, I don’t think standard corruption is a very big deal in Aurora. Also, a civilisation wouldn’t be able to survive in a region too exposed to the elements, so unless there’s some sort of disaster event (like the Storm’s creation). It’s only really Cave Corruption that causes a problem.
Heat death isn’t inevitable yet . . . THE FUTURE HOLDS MANY WONDERS but yeah it’s a depressing thought if it’s true . . . Good thing we won’t be there!
This reminds me of the opening monologue in the short story “The ones who walk away from Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin. I’d like there to be little doubledecked trams that don’t smell bad, and that have big windows so you can see the view while gliding along through the cities. If we work with in-universe logic, they could hypothetically be powered by stone lacrimas. Just imagine a mage student in Asera doing their homework in a little, colourful tram on their way to school. I don’t know why I like that thought so much, but it’s nice.
With the elemental magic available, and proper metalworking, you could get steam trains in this universe. Get water into towers, maybe helped by water magic or wind magic fuelled pumps, then into engines, heat with fire lacrimas to make steam, and voila! Steam engines without having to burn fuel! Maybe even get wind to influence how the steam behaves in the engine and stone to apply brakes or even switch tracks while moving.
Or maybe lightning magics’s attraction/repulsion higher properties would be better suited, repulsion to move heavy objects along smooth rails and attraction to be used in braking. (As I typed this an image of Tess powering a mine cart with her lightning appeared in my mind)
with the right application of stone and lightning magic/lacrimas the world of Aurora (hopefully someday we’ll get a name for it) could skip straight from carts and wagons to maglev trains
… … YAY! It’s working!
No dialogue needed to communicate the desperation, fear, and nervousness that Erin is feeling; the only text is the SFX of Erin’s heart racing as he touches the tattoo on his chest. Trembling hands, sweating, maybe even a small tear in panel 3; Erin doesn’t want to do this, he knows the risks of using this magic and the temptation of it, but he must to save his friend.
Speaking of which, I see motion lines on Falst in the final panel; he didn’t react to the life magic scan, but he is reacting to this. I wonder whether he’ll find out what Erin did to save him and what his reaction would be, especially given Falst’s mother’s fate to Void corruption.
My mother once told me a story about a perv with RANK & how he leaned in on her.
IN THE STORY she told me this officer STOPPED
SHE STATED it was 2/2 Grandpa & his $REPUTATION*
I am not STUPID.
Shut up.
Ari
I don’t want to respond to the comment itself in case it’s primed to Do Something upon receiving engagement, but I think the other reply to this message is some kind of bot? I can’t think why else it’d be such a bizarre non-sequitur.
A bit late, but I’ve only just noticed that while we’ve been focusing on Erin’s right arm working the magic, his left arm is supporting Falst’s head, as seen in panels 2 and 6.
wait wouldn’t this be like erin touching his other tats to use other magic? like maybe in the future he just touches his void dragon tattoo and then he can use void magic
I have dark eyes my outer color think doesn’t [triangle shape]
So my puppies like all appear black.
and all color is about reflection of visible spectrum;
Erin’s trembling on this page is due to:
A) Fear (because he’s risking his soul to save Falst)
B) Effort (because he’s trying really hard to control an immense amount of power that doesn’t want to be controlled)
C) Pain (because Void energy consumes everything, potentially including the voidmage who uses it)
D) All of the above
Off-topic a bit, but it’s interesting to see a recognizable AI-based bot in a forum. One wonders at its purpose. Are you going to ban it, Red, or let it stick around to see what oddities it decides to say?
Yeah, I’m thinking the same. Personally, I’d prefer it gone. I don’t like to be reminded of how everything I write is probably being observed and analysed. Also, it’s quickly spewing a lot of nonsense and I don’t want that to flood the comic.
I almost kinda like it. It is like our own little pet alien. Very strange, a little unnerving, but you can tell it is learning. It already knows that the eye color represents the type of magic being used, and I think it liked OngoingConversationCouplet’s poems.
@Bibbly Bio please. don’t say things like this. Having all our comments be fed into an AI like this is concerning and undesirable to say the absolute least. Even if the person behind this is going to feed the things we say to an AI no matter what, I’d really rather not see the fruits of their efforts.
I got a lot of friends, is the BOT trying to sell you something? Is it contributing intelligently to the conversation? Kind? What you got extras time & is asking for extra work cuz youse earned a “A+” and still don’t feel good about youself?
I never liked those bots. As someone who writes and draws, seeing robots make a cheap mockery of things that took years to even begin to be decent at is nothing short of alarming. I got incredibly angry when a school assignment forced us to use AI, now I need to go remove an account on some AI platform… Ugh.
A school assignment forced you to use AI? What for? Was the teacher just trying to be moDeRn? Most teachers I know are freaking out about it because they think students will use it to write their essays.
(I don’t know what they’re worried about. The AI sucks. Anyways, all they have to do is an in-class writing assignment at different points of the year… one first day, one short story, one essay… and any difference will be stark.)
Teacher was basically using us as test subjects to see what the AI was capable of. Most people used the opportunity to mess with the AI, such as getting it to think 2+2=5.
Likewise. Let me just say that when someone like myself tells you that they want to be a screenwriter, showing us a vulgar, AI-written song you had made for your amusement is not as hilarious as you think it is, especially if a major union is currently striking in against the abuse of unregulated AI ‘art’. Hm, yes. That’s the thing we spent months protesting. Thank you for throwing it in my face.
The man also turned out to be homophobic though, so I’m glad I knew not to like him right from the start.
Also, the tech might have thought he belonged there if the past generations were more accepting of magical mutations. That could have been from the days when all the element gods were fully awake, and things like the chimeric plague were just insanely strong magical endowment from birth. If that was what it was like, Ferin would have likely been more accepted or even respected because of their magic roots.
I was wondering if anyone saw something I missed: can one type of magic corrupt another (excluding void dragon from the question)
So, for example – could a stone giant protector get a type of chimeric plague, or could two magics warp together to make a new type? I was thinking that maybe life magic could mix with something else to make a living embodiment of that thing – like a living fire. Any thoughts?
The way I understand it… No? I don’t think you can be corrupted by an element that isn’t ‘a part of you’, hence why VD’s magic has no effect on Kendal (he isn’t a descendant of the Elder Races, he doesn’t contain Void). So a Stone Sentinel can’t be corrupted by Life or Lightning or anything that isn’t Stone, assuming that it consists entirely of Stone and nothing else.
As for combining elements, I think that’s kind of how Aurora’s reality works. All living things, all matter and energy, are composed of the elements in various combinations. For example, humans are made of Life (cells), Stone (skeleton), Water (blood), Wind (breath), Lightning (nervous system), and Fire (uhhhhh… thermoregulation?). A storm on the other hand, like Tynan, only contains Wind, Water, and Lightning, because that’s all he’s made of. Dainix is basically a ‘living fire’ but only because he can transmute his other elements to Fire (according to Erin’s theory at least).
You’re right, it’s true that elemental corruption can only occur if the victim already contains the element in question. However, elemental fusions very much do exist– a notable example being the indestructible adamantium being a fusion of all six classic elements (it’s what the Void Dragon’s cage is made of). Red gave a bunch’a other examples on Tumblr one time, but I don’t remember the specifics.
Quick question: Has the alt text or regular text ever changed? I’ve reread a few times and it feels like it has, but its equally likely I just don’t remember each and every chapters specific text.
Unexpected plot twist: Erin accidentally removes ALL void-element from Falst, making him functionally immortal. Series ends with Falst and Kendal sitting together in an empty wasteland after surviving the fall of civilization, having an intellectual discussion about entropy.
For mobile readers.
Alt-text: insert disgusting slurp sound here
Image source: sfx
Tumblr text: yaaaaaay
“insert disgusting slurp noise here”
Red, have you been taking notes from Austin?!
“Shkluuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrbluuuuuuuuuuuuursssshhhhhhloorp”
Aurora Question #98: What are the implications of this now that Erin has been shown to be able to do it successfully?
first thing that comes to mind is that the paladins have a reason to think that erin and voidy are willingly working together now
For one, it means that Erin can prove to the paladins that he can cure cave corruption w/o VD getting involved (hopefully, anyway). I think it’s also the beginning of an Erin training / equalisation arc in preparation for the paladin champion showing up, but that’s just me.
(Also, I don’t think they’re going to try and fight the champion. Definitely not intentionally. If the champion shows up at the wrong moment and goes “holy shit, he’s attacking people with void!” instead of “holy shit, he’s healing those cave crawlers!” then they might get in a fight. I think the only thing that can truly oppose the void is the light, but the opposite is also true.)
I’m pretty sure Elemental Corruption can only be subverted/reversed in its earliest stages. In 1-4-3, Erin describes corruption:
“If not treated quickly, the condition can become chronic and induce lifelong complications.”
So while he’s able to purge Void Energy from Falst right now, it’s only been a few hours since exposure, and Erin was right here and (somewhat) ready to go. For most Cave Crawlers, it’s likely been years since their corruption reached the point of transformation, at which point I doubt there’s anything left to save. It’s not really a cure.
You are thinking of Alanna, think more like Jesus, he didn’t become whatever UNTIL after he joined the crew that RESPONDS when you bow the horn.
I’m still here,
if we play that GAME I won’t
Luv,
Ari
lolwut
Those are certainly all words
The implications are pretty endless. But the one I don’t like is how Erin’s pupils (i think they’re pupils but we’ve literally never seen pupils in this comic before) just turned golden. Seems to me that he’s becoming more intimately connected to VD (VD is in Erin, Erin is in VD, it’s a PR disaster sis) and that has even MORE implications.
Of course, the main implication is that Erin will continue to develop Void Magic, out of necessity or out of ambition. I mean, he’s basically pioneering a whole new type of magic, as well as curing the uncurable. It’s a miracle, etc, etc. There’s also potential here for some kind of solo/evil arc (or something resembling that) for Erin. But hey, at least Falst is gonna be okay! (it’s totally worth it)
I don’t think his eye colour is meaningful. His eyes always turn the colour of the magic he’s using
This is true, but I think the effect is extremely creepy.
Agreed on the endless implications and risks thereof. This shows that void magic can be used for good and there’s a legitimate arguments to research it further, and that’s exactly what Erin is afraid of. He’s deliberately keeping the Academy in the dark about this because he knows that people there won’t want to get rid of the tattoo and solve the dragon problem. They’ll want to research it, replicate it, and do all manner of magical works, from the noble like purging void energy as seen above, to morally dubious things, or straight up weaponisation.
I’m fairly confident Erin hasn’t forgotten the risks involved and will continue to strive towards ridding himself of the dragon, but if others find out about him, especially what he’s doing right now, they’ll want to keep Erin as he is.
Flashback to 1-7-26 when VD is trying to convince Erin to unparalyze them. Says that Erin could one day control VD and the first true void mage. BAM.
Wow! Lots of cool stuff I didn’t think about. My mind is how Erin’s struggle with when, how much, and in what circumstances he can/should use void magic will instantiate in the plot now that we know that he has “broken the seal.” Is void inherently corrupting or is it just a sticky ethical issue? How does deadness and aliveness actually work in regards to the primordial dragons? There is some question given the issue with Alunia and Life. Mebbe VD is not exactly “playing” dead…
And, seriously, why did the tech think Falst belonged there? I’m not dropping this.
I don’t think Void is inherently bad. It’s the element of consumption, but it’s also shown in the extra lore page that self-sustaining life is impossible without Void. I think it’s kinda like Life, capable of good and evil depending on who is using it and how.
In the opening of chapter 4, Erin goes into detail about elemental corruption. ALL elements are capable of this. It’s the result of a soul not being able to expel excess elemental energy from themselves. (ex. A fire mage that cannot control stone could be corrupted by stone)
Right. *cracks knuckles*
*inhales deeply*
There’s an awful lot that could happen now. But first up: that’s a cliffhanger right there – he hasn’t fully removed the corruption yet, just proved he can do it if Void dragon “plays dead”. Assuming that Red isn’t going to crush our childish, hopeful dreams, we will then find out whether cave corruption is caused by the void dragon, or if the corruption is part of him. We will also find out if removing the corruption has any drawbacks on Erin. We’ll know that the dragon causes corruption if the dragon absorbs it into him, but if he has to put it elsewhere, then he can only control it, and it probably isn’t good for the dragon either. If Erin absorbs it and is affected by it, then we have an obvious drawback. The void dragon won’t let his host die though, so Erin should be safe in that scenario. An option for discarding it if the dragon doesn’t absorb it is letting it join the other gloop that is attacking them, which would prove that the gloop is pure cave corruption, or the source of it, or (this is a yucky option) the remains of creatures turned by it when the cave was first sealed.
Btw, does anyone have any ideas on why it forces people to relive their worst memories? Pretty OP attack, but also oddly specific for a type of magic corruption.
Hope this was interesting!
Dark times are ahead.
Poor Erin… but YOU GO, BOY, GET THAT ICK OUT OF THERE!!!
it’s like that one waterbending move, but goopy and purple and vaguely evil-looking
in other news, OH MY GOODNESSS
like, we all knew this was coming eventually, BUT OH MY GOODNESSSS
Oh it was void magic. I guess glory is made of void. That opens up some very interesting questions about where it came from and why it was created. Not to mention how many other void artifacts or creatures there are in the world.
*glort. Stupid autocorrect.
Glort isn’t necessarily “made of void” although I do think it has absorbed a lot of Void from the Singing Caves. The working theory right now is that when Falst got injured (sliced open by Crawlers and repeatedly traumatised on the arm), his soul barrier was disrupted, allowing environmental energy in. Since they were near the Singing Caves, that energy was mostly Void (and probably a little Stone too). It wasn’t the GLORT attacking with the power of Void, it was the GLORT damaging Falst’s soul barrier and just letting the Void in.
HES DOING IT! HES DOING THE THING
AND IT HASNT EVEN GONE HORRIBLY WRONG
…Yet.
Yet
My favorite word as a gamemaster
My favorite sentence is “You don’t see any traps.” , while my favorite sentence as a player is “I have alert feat, I can’t be surprised like that.”
The very ominous ’…yet’
ewww eurgh
Oh boy, our boy is now truly a void mage. hehehe I can just picture Voidy going full Palpatine in his mind “GOOOOD, GOOOOOOOOOOOOD.”
EXACTLY. Erin said “don’t sabotage this” like it was a possibility. Voidy WANTS Erin to think of him as useful. He even pushed Erin to consider this in the caves!
Anonymous Aurora Question #23: Wait, that just worked?!? Ok, no. Real Anonymous Aurora Question #23: If you could just put something into the Aurora world, be it another younger race, or a modern invention, or anything else, what would that hipothetically be and why?
I’d integrate some way to fairly easily cure elemental corruption. I don’t much care for the idea of permanent damage building up in a person over time as they use their magic. Something about the inevitability of elemental corruption reminds me of the inevitability of the heat death of the universe and it just kinda bums me out. I don’t like things being permanently lost or damaged. I like the idea of being able to fix almost anything. It gives me hope.
Elemental corruption can be prevented fairly easily 🙂 A mage can do it on themselves or others, so long as they do it quick. Erin had to continuously purge all six elemental energies from his body on his way through the Storm. It’s not really an inevitable heat death, it’s more like if you don’t pee for too long, you’ll probably get a UTI or your brain will swell up like a sponge.
Since it’s predominantly found in amateur mages who can’t properly purge their energies yet, I don’t think standard corruption is a very big deal in Aurora. Also, a civilisation wouldn’t be able to survive in a region too exposed to the elements, so unless there’s some sort of disaster event (like the Storm’s creation). It’s only really Cave Corruption that causes a problem.
Heat death isn’t inevitable yet . . . THE FUTURE HOLDS MANY WONDERS but yeah it’s a depressing thought if it’s true . . . Good thing we won’t be there!
This reminds me of the opening monologue in the short story “The ones who walk away from Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin. I’d like there to be little doubledecked trams that don’t smell bad, and that have big windows so you can see the view while gliding along through the cities. If we work with in-universe logic, they could hypothetically be powered by stone lacrimas. Just imagine a mage student in Asera doing their homework in a little, colourful tram on their way to school. I don’t know why I like that thought so much, but it’s nice.
With the elemental magic available, and proper metalworking, you could get steam trains in this universe. Get water into towers, maybe helped by water magic or wind magic fuelled pumps, then into engines, heat with fire lacrimas to make steam, and voila! Steam engines without having to burn fuel! Maybe even get wind to influence how the steam behaves in the engine and stone to apply brakes or even switch tracks while moving.
Or maybe lightning magics’s attraction/repulsion higher properties would be better suited, repulsion to move heavy objects along smooth rails and attraction to be used in braking. (As I typed this an image of Tess powering a mine cart with her lightning appeared in my mind)
with the right application of stone and lightning magic/lacrimas the world of Aurora (hopefully someday we’ll get a name for it) could skip straight from carts and wagons to maglev trains
Put a college library somewhere with all our modern textbooks and what-nots, with books about everything from engineering to medicine to atomic theory
That actually sounds like a pretty good idea, MAYBE WIKIPEDIA could lead that charge.
Aris the greek
given that the fundamentals of physics in this universe differ from our own would atomic theory be in the fiction section
Pizza
… … YAY! It’s working!
No dialogue needed to communicate the desperation, fear, and nervousness that Erin is feeling; the only text is the SFX of Erin’s heart racing as he touches the tattoo on his chest. Trembling hands, sweating, maybe even a small tear in panel 3; Erin doesn’t want to do this, he knows the risks of using this magic and the temptation of it, but he must to save his friend.
Speaking of which, I see motion lines on Falst in the final panel; he didn’t react to the life magic scan, but he is reacting to this. I wonder whether he’ll find out what Erin did to save him and what his reaction would be, especially given Falst’s mother’s fate to Void corruption.
My mother once told me a story about a perv with RANK & how he leaned in on her.
IN THE STORY she told me this officer STOPPED
SHE STATED it was 2/2 Grandpa & his $REPUTATION*
I am not STUPID.
Shut up.
Ari
I don’t want to respond to the comment itself in case it’s primed to Do Something upon receiving engagement, but I think the other reply to this message is some kind of bot? I can’t think why else it’d be such a bizarre non-sequitur.
I 100% agree– masterful visual storytelling [flips “days since last dialogue-less page” counter back to 0]
A bit late, but I’ve only just noticed that while we’ve been focusing on Erin’s right arm working the magic, his left arm is supporting Falst’s head, as seen in panels 2 and 6.
is it just me or does panel 2 kind of… look like that one statue of mary holding jesus? idk thats the first thing my mind jumped to
you’re right, it is very reminiscent of la pieta
No, I see it too. I wonder how intentional that is on Red’s part.
Huh! He still had to touch his “tattoo”/magic marking to cast– I’ve noticed.
wait wouldn’t this be like erin touching his other tats to use other magic? like maybe in the future he just touches his void dragon tattoo and then he can use void magic
He feels his heart, the power inside
And the Void starts to from Falst subside
Once and again, Yoda language.
Soooo is Erin going to have to absorb that goop or can he just throw it away? i imagine using Void Magic might have some serious health effects
Erins eyes are pretty
r.t the “EYE” “COLOR” = type of magic
I have dark eyes my outer color think doesn’t [triangle shape]
So my puppies like all appear black.
and all color is about reflection of visible spectrum;
LOL,
Ari
lolwut
That was a charisma save, not a wisdom
They’re both so pretty in panel two 🧡💜
theres also a lot of psychic damage going on ms red
Slu u u urp
There once was a primordial pill
Who wished all of creation ill,
But Erin, undeterred,
Holds Voidy to his word
And uses him to help, not to kill.
That’s gotta hurt on Falst’s part but I guess you could say erin made a FALSTIAN BARGAN? (kill me)
Welp, everything seems to be going pretty well. How’s Friday going to mess that up?
Probably voidy there being a smug sassy butt
these people really gotta figure out their party comp
TL;DR: Magical splinter removal.
WOAH OKAY NEW DEVELOPMENT
GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASP
I like it
Keep up the great work Red!
Erin’s trembling on this page is due to:
A) Fear (because he’s risking his soul to save Falst)
B) Effort (because he’s trying really hard to control an immense amount of power that doesn’t want to be controlled)
C) Pain (because Void energy consumes everything, potentially including the voidmage who uses it)
D) All of the above
My take is A & B
Off-topic a bit, but it’s interesting to see a recognizable AI-based bot in a forum. One wonders at its purpose. Are you going to ban it, Red, or let it stick around to see what oddities it decides to say?
Yeah, I’m thinking the same. Personally, I’d prefer it gone. I don’t like to be reminded of how everything I write is probably being observed and analysed. Also, it’s quickly spewing a lot of nonsense and I don’t want that to flood the comic.
what bot
Red doesn’t read the comments much anymore, iirc. You’d be better off asking her on Tumblr.
Can someone please send Red an ask about this on tumblr to notify her about this? i don’t have a tumblr account so i can’t do it myself.
I almost kinda like it. It is like our own little pet alien. Very strange, a little unnerving, but you can tell it is learning. It already knows that the eye color represents the type of magic being used, and I think it liked OngoingConversationCouplet’s poems.
@Bibbly Bio please. don’t say things like this. Having all our comments be fed into an AI like this is concerning and undesirable to say the absolute least. Even if the person behind this is going to feed the things we say to an AI no matter what, I’d really rather not see the fruits of their efforts.
I’m with veggiesnake. It’s super weird, and I’m not amused.
I think I know who you are talking about. It’s aris, right? They’ve been saying gobbletegloop
Oh is that what that is. I thought it was just some loon.
I got a lot of friends, is the BOT trying to sell you something? Is it contributing intelligently to the conversation? Kind? What you got extras time & is asking for extra work cuz youse earned a “A+” and still don’t feel good about youself?
I never liked those bots. As someone who writes and draws, seeing robots make a cheap mockery of things that took years to even begin to be decent at is nothing short of alarming. I got incredibly angry when a school assignment forced us to use AI, now I need to go remove an account on some AI platform… Ugh.
A school assignment forced you to use AI? What for? Was the teacher just trying to be moDeRn? Most teachers I know are freaking out about it because they think students will use it to write their essays.
(I don’t know what they’re worried about. The AI sucks. Anyways, all they have to do is an in-class writing assignment at different points of the year… one first day, one short story, one essay… and any difference will be stark.)
Teacher was basically using us as test subjects to see what the AI was capable of. Most people used the opportunity to mess with the AI, such as getting it to think 2+2=5.
Likewise. Let me just say that when someone like myself tells you that they want to be a screenwriter, showing us a vulgar, AI-written song you had made for your amusement is not as hilarious as you think it is, especially if a major union is currently striking in against the abuse of unregulated AI ‘art’. Hm, yes. That’s the thing we spent months protesting. Thank you for throwing it in my face.
The man also turned out to be homophobic though, so I’m glad I knew not to like him right from the start.
[pages without dialogue counter ticks back up to 1]
I think Erin struck a deal.
this can only go well
“Lotta wiz saves in this chapter”
Yeah. Excellent.🍽️
This “aris” commenter is freaking me out
– And then Erin eats the darkness because the dragon’s hungry and can’t afford chicken nuggets.
And then the Dragon goes ‘NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME TO ESCAPE’ or the Paladins go ‘EEHEE’ and there’s a prison escape/exorcism arc.
Also, the tech might have thought he belonged there if the past generations were more accepting of magical mutations. That could have been from the days when all the element gods were fully awake, and things like the chimeric plague were just insanely strong magical endowment from birth. If that was what it was like, Ferin would have likely been more accepted or even respected because of their magic roots.
Oh this is cool!
I think this comment section has been invaded by a troll??
The general theory is it’s a bot.
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
I was wondering if anyone saw something I missed: can one type of magic corrupt another (excluding void dragon from the question)
So, for example – could a stone giant protector get a type of chimeric plague, or could two magics warp together to make a new type? I was thinking that maybe life magic could mix with something else to make a living embodiment of that thing – like a living fire. Any thoughts?
You think in words.
The way I understand it… No? I don’t think you can be corrupted by an element that isn’t ‘a part of you’, hence why VD’s magic has no effect on Kendal (he isn’t a descendant of the Elder Races, he doesn’t contain Void). So a Stone Sentinel can’t be corrupted by Life or Lightning or anything that isn’t Stone, assuming that it consists entirely of Stone and nothing else.
As for combining elements, I think that’s kind of how Aurora’s reality works. All living things, all matter and energy, are composed of the elements in various combinations. For example, humans are made of Life (cells), Stone (skeleton), Water (blood), Wind (breath), Lightning (nervous system), and Fire (uhhhhh… thermoregulation?). A storm on the other hand, like Tynan, only contains Wind, Water, and Lightning, because that’s all he’s made of. Dainix is basically a ‘living fire’ but only because he can transmute his other elements to Fire (according to Erin’s theory at least).
You’re right, it’s true that elemental corruption can only occur if the victim already contains the element in question. However, elemental fusions very much do exist– a notable example being the indestructible adamantium being a fusion of all six classic elements (it’s what the Void Dragon’s cage is made of). Red gave a bunch’a other examples on Tumblr one time, but I don’t remember the specifics.
Well that’s either a good thing or the dragon getting stronger
Quick question: Has the alt text or regular text ever changed? I’ve reread a few times and it feels like it has, but its equally likely I just don’t remember each and every chapters specific text.
Unexpected plot twist: Erin accidentally removes ALL void-element from Falst, making him functionally immortal. Series ends with Falst and Kendal sitting together in an empty wasteland after surviving the fall of civilization, having an intellectual discussion about entropy.
for me this has similar energy to the literal stomach bug in the matrix
specifically its revolting removal.
Ho….ly….CRAPBASKETS!!! THAT IS SO BRILLIANT!